Drug Delivery and Translational Research最新文献

{"title":"Recent advances in interstitial fluid dynamics for diagnostic, targeted drug delivery and precision medicine applications.","authors":"Khonzisizwe Somandi, Hlumelo Kulati, Darin E Holman, Ameerah-Imaan Abrahams, Mpho P Ngoepe, Marshall Keyster, Yahya E Choonara","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02106-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02106-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interstitial fluid (ISF), the extracellular fluid surrounding tissue cells, has emerged as a promising biofluid for biomarker detection and localized physiological monitoring. Although its clinical use remains limited compared with blood or urine, advances in minimally invasive extraction technologies have expanded research interest in its diagnostic and therapeutic potential. ISF shares biochemical similarities with blood but is more accessible through minimally invasive techniques, offers localized biomarker concentrations, and avoids clotting issues. Recent research has demonstrated that ISF contains a rich profile of biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites, and cytokines, that are valuable for diagnosing and managing a variety of conditions such as infections, metabolic disorders, cancers, and neurological diseases. Advances in microneedle (MN) technology, wearable biosensors, and minimally invasive extraction methods have enabled the efficient sampling and analysis of ISF, bringing its clinical applications closer to reality. Beyond diagnostics, ISF is now being leveraged in therapeutic applications, particularly in precision medicine and drug delivery. Novel delivery strategies such as MNs, convection-enhanced delivery (CED), electroosmotic flow, and fiber-optic theranostics use ISF as both a conduit and a target environment, especially for conditions like solid tumors, where interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) plays a critical role in treatment efficacy. Simulated ISF models are also being developed to facilitate preclinical drug testing and improve translational success. This review emphasizes the mechanistic physiology of ISF from both human and preclinical/animal models, including its pressure regulation, transport dynamics, and simulated/computational modelling, as the foundation for next-generation drug delivery design. While diagnostic and sampling technologies are summarized for context, the review primarily explores how ISF dynamics guide targeted therapy and precision medicine. Overall, ISF offers a dynamic and responsive medium for next-generation medical applications, combining real-time physiological insight with localized therapeutic action. Furthermore, current research and technological advancements, emphasizing the transformative potential of ISF to bridge diagnostics, personalized therapy, as well as drug development and targeted delivery are reviewed herein.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3201-3230"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13538253/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147520274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overcoming the oral delivery challenges of venetoclax: advancing a clinically improved Bcl-2 inhibitor.","authors":"Yukta Hegishte, Paul Joyce, Clive Prestidge, Kristen Bremmell","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02093-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02093-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Bcl-2 inhibitor, Venetoclax, is a notable example of a therapeutic emerging from modern drug development pipelines with structural and physiochemical properties sitting beyond Lipinski's \"Rule of 5\". The classification of VTX as a biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) Class IV compound aligns with its observed low solubility and permeability in the gastrointestinal tract. Its inherent \"brick-dust\" properties further limit solubility in lipid delivery vehicles, collectively constraining its maximum potential for oral absorption. With a low fasted oral bioavailability (< 5%) and a fivefold positive food effect, a clinical dose of 600 mg is required daily and is prescribed to patients with a meal to ensure therapeutic efficacy. The impact of critical formulation design parameters on the performance of previously reported formulation strategies such as amorphous solid dispersions, nanocrystals and lipid-based systems will be examined. Mechanistic insight into how bio-enabling strategies improve oral absorption of VTX is provided, including enhanced solubility in lipid vehicles, improved solubilisation upon dispersion, mitigation of the gastrointestinal pH gradient, reduced particle size, amorphous state enhanced-solubility and reduced metabolism. Potential alternative formulation strategies such as inorganic vehicles or advanced lipid-based systems are reviewed, with their capability to enhance VTX's bioavailability whilst reducing the high clinical dose and dependence on food for optimal absorption. Key silica and polymer selection is necessary for loading VTX mesoporous silica nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles. Novel formulation avenues, including solidified self-emulsifying systems, supersaturated self-emulsifying systems, solid-lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid-carriers, are also explored. Systematic in vitro and in vivo investigations of these formulations can provide essential in vitro-in-vivo correlation insights. Integration of lipid formulation-specific parameters into a physiologically based pharmacokinetics model can facilitate improved clinical translation of lipid-based VTX formulations. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: Venetoclax can benefit from reformulation using novel bio-enabling strategies for enhanced oral absorption Rational formulation design can beneficially affect the performance of bio-enabling systems Use of advanced lipid-based formulations and/or inorganic vehicles, can enhance pharmacokinetics and reduce limitations of the current clinical use of venetoclax Combining advanced formulation science and modelling is key for clinical success of venetoclax-based lipid formulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3116-3136"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13538250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147431255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Economic analysis of microneedle technology: cost-effectiveness, manufacturing scalability, and commercialization challenges.","authors":"Hiep X Nguyen, Le T Nguyen","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02104-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02104-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microneedle technology represents a promising advancement in transdermal drug delivery, offering painless administration, enhanced patient compliance, elimination of cold chain requirements, and self-administration capabilities. Despite extensive development with over 4,000 patents, commercial translation remains limited to 13 products, predominantly cosmetic applications. Economic evaluations demonstrate microneedle patches achieve cost-effectiveness at price points below $30 per dose. Operational savings range from $0.24-$0.61 per dose across vaccination scenarios (≥ 87% probability), driven primarily by labor costs, followed by wastage reduction and freight decreases. Australian analysis projects $108 million annual savings for influenza vaccination through complete substitution of conventional systems. Manufacturing economics reveal significant barriers, with production facility establishment requiring $5-20 million capital investment and clinical development costs ranging from $10-40 million. Administration costs represent 43-63% of total vaccination expenses versus 8-10% for cold chain, identifying labor efficiency as the primary economic driver. Self-administration requires ≥ 3% compliance increases to offset administration success reductions. Manufacturing costs range from $0.50-$5.00 per patch, depending on scale and polymer selection. Regulatory pathways remain incompletely defined, creating uncertainties that delay market entry and increase expenditures. Regulatory approval costs reach hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, while no microneedle patches have received FDA approval. Microneedle market projections indicate 6.83-7.2% compound annual growth from 2025 through 2030, reaching $4.46 billion globally. This review synthesizes reports from cost-effectiveness studies, manufacturing economics, regulatory pathways, and market dynamics, providing quantitative cost-effectiveness thresholds, identifying economic barriers, and offering recommendations for technology development, regulatory optimization, and market positioning to facilitate the clinical application of microneedle products.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3137-3168"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147632869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-grafted-dopamine based micelles as multifunctional nanomedicines for Parkinson's disease treatment by intranasal administration.","authors":"Adriana Trapani, Annalucia Carbone, Sante Di Gioia, Giuseppe Fracchiolla, Piera Soccio, Filippo Maria Perna, Andrea Francesca Quivelli, Gian Paolo Suranna, Roberto Grisorio, Chiara Lo Porto, Daniele Conelli, Giuditta Colangelo, Massimo Conese","doi":"10.1007/s13346-025-01963-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-025-01963-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The main aim of this work was to synthesize new chitosan amphiphilic derivatives able to self-assembly encapsulating substances acting at different target sites implicated in Parkinson disease (PD). For this purpose, O-carboxymethyl-chitosan (O-CMCS) was grafted with dopamine (DA) exploiting a carbodiimide mediated coupling reaction using different polymer/DA weight ratios. The structural characterization of the resulting O-CMCS-g-DA conjugates was carried out by spectral (i.e., ì FT-IR, ¹H-NMR spectroscopy) and potentiometric titrations. The physicochemical characterization of these conjugates was performed by thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The in vitro DA release was carried out in simulated nasal fluid showing in any case a sustained release of the neurotransmitter. The amphiphilic O-CMCS-g-DA conjugate at highest substitution degree was allowed to form micelles using the dialysis method. The Critical Micellar Concentration of such micelles was determined by the conductometric method and resulted of 1 × 10^- 4 mg/mL Quercetin (QUE), selected as hydrophobic antioxidant model drug, was encapsulated into the core of these micelles with an efficiency of 18%. From a biological point of view, none of the O-CMCS-g-DA conjugates was cytotoxic against the target neuronal SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, all the O-CMCS-g-DA conjugates were able to modulate neuroinflammation as demonstrated by mRNA expression level analysis. Therefore, these O-CMCS-g-DA based micelles showed a great potential as multifunctional nanomedicines for brain delivery by intranasal route of a lipophilic antioxidant involved in the oxidative stress together with the neurotransmitter DA exploiting a delivery system with modulating properties of neuroinflammation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3310-3326"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13538208/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144946587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A design of experiments study of nasal spray deposition in the alberta idealized nasal inlet.","authors":"Mathilde Sophie Felding, Charlotte Cubbin, Claus Moser, Fatemeh Ajalloueian, Line Hagner Nielsen","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02147-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02147-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intranasal administration of drugs possesses numerous advantages such as easy and direct application, rapid onset of action and reduced risk of systemic adverse effects. The nasal cavity consists of several regions and especially the respiratory region, known as the turbinates, is considered favorable for drug uptake. Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for in vitro testing of nasal spray formulations recommend characterization of emitted dose, plume geometry, spray pattern, and particle size distribution. However, recommendations or guidelines for assessing regional deposition within the nasal cavity remain lacking. In this study, we used the Alberta Idealized Nasal Inlet for in vitro testing and a design of experiments (DoE) approach to test the regional deposition of a commercially available nasal spray Otrivin^®. We show that three main parameters (airflow, angle of administration and temperature) play vital roles in the deposition pattern. Furthermore, we uncovered significant effects of administration angle and temperature, as well as combined interactions between airflow and angle, and temperature and airflow. Our results demonstrate the need for introducing a physiologically relevant temperature when conducting in vitro studies, and that combined interactions are vital to investigate and understand for assessing regional deposition of nasal spray formulations in vitro.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3015-3025"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13538200/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147834967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advances in veterinary drug and vaccine delivery: from conventional delivery methods to innovative transdermal approaches.","authors":"Katherine A Miranda-Muñoz, TsungCheng Tsai, Jeremy G Powell, Jorge Almodovar","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02105-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02105-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Veterinary drug delivery must balance efficacy, ease of administration, and animal welfare. Traditional methods, such as oral and injectable routes, pose challenges due to species-specific variations, stress during administration, and the need for repeated dosing. Emerging transdermal systems, particularly microneedle patches, offer a minimally invasive alternative that enhances drug absorption while reducing handling stress toward animals and improving compliance. Microneedle technology enables controlled and sustained drug release, making it particularly effective for pain management, vaccine delivery, and hormone therapies. By facilitating the transdermal administration of analgesics, microneedles deliver long-lasting pain relief with fewer interventions, improving the treatment of acute and chronic conditions in veterinary medicine. The use of biodegradable materials further enhances safety, eliminates the need for patch removal, and minimizes environmental impact. However, challenges such as species-specific skin permeability, formulation stability, and regulatory approval must be addressed for widespread adoption. This review examines the evolution of veterinary drug delivery, emphasizing microneedle-based technologies and their potential to improve pain management and therapeutic outcomes. By overcoming existing limitations, these systems could transform treatment approaches, simplify administration, and enhance overall animal care. Continued research and development will be essential for optimizing these technologies and expanding their applications in both clinical and agricultural settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3169-3200"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13538222/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147728679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genistein-loaded solid lipid nanoparticle in microneedle patch: potential for enhanced management of osteoporosis.","authors":"Shama Shetty, Jobin Jose, Gopika Gopan, Naidulekha Aswani, Prachi Dwivedi","doi":"10.1007/s13346-025-02039-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-025-02039-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microneedle patches, which are minimally invasive and have high patient compliance, offer a potential alternative for transdermal drug delivery, particularly in chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, which require consistent long-term therapy. Genistein is an osteoprotective plant-derived isoflavone that suffers from poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability, thereby limiting its medicinal value. In this study, a genistein-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles integrated with dissolving microneedles was developed for the management of osteoporosis. SLNs were prepared using glyceryl monostearate and Tween 80, and optimized by using a Box-Behnken design. The optimised formulation of SLNs (F3) was incorporated into dissolving microneedles. The developed dissolving microneedles were studied for various characterisations, and they featured uniform geometry, sharp, pointed edges, a drug delivery profile of 69.218 ± 3.64% at 8 h. Its anti-osteoporotic studies were carried out on 6 groups of Wistar albino rats, and studies showed that significant decrease in the creatinine level and osteoclast cells; on the other hand, a substantial increase in total protein, bone weight, hardness, thickness, and trabecular composition. A skin irritation test, which was performed, manifested the biocompatible, dermatologically safe quality of the developed dissolving microneedles. This microneedle platform, coupled with an optimised SLNs carrier, ensures a non-invasive controlled transdermal delivery, maximising genistein's osteogenic potency for the effective management of osteoporosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3327-3350"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145965152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Treatment of myocardial infarction via implantation of electroactive alginate/gelatin cardiac patch seeded with mesenchymal stem cells in a rat model.","authors":"Elham Behzadi, Nafiseh Baheiraei, Nasim Naderi, Fahimeh Nemati","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02058-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02058-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of mortality around the globe. Cardiac patches offer a promising tissue engineering approach to facilitate the natural regeneration of damaged cardiac tissue. In this research, electroactive cardiac patches composed of alginate-gelatin (Alg-Gel) were fabricated using a freeze-drying technique. The scaffolds were subsequently coated with varying concentrations of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to improve cardiac performance. The samples were thoroughly characterized in terms of their physicochemical, morphological, and biological properties, including morphology, cell viability, and gene expression. Notably, an rGO concentration of 0.3% w/v significantly improved the viability of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), while upregulating the expression of Connexin 43 (Conx43), tryptophan transporter 2 (TrpT-2), and actinin 4 (Actn4), all of which are critical for cardiac cell function. To evaluate therapeutic efficacy in vivo, Alg-Gel-rGO scaffolds seeded with BMSCs were implanted into the infarcted area of a rat model of MI. Echocardiographic, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that the prepared patches improved cardiac function, reduced scar thickness, and promoted angiogenesis, thereby supporting cardiac tissue repair. These findings suggest that Alg-Gel-rGO scaffolds hold significant potential for regenerating damaged myocardial tissue and enhancing post-MI recovery, representing a viable strategy in cardiac tissue engineering.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3555-3571"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147572837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ink to innovation: Pioneering printing technologies for next-generation drug delivery systems.","authors":"Noha F Ghazi, Vincenzo Taresco, Philippa L Jacob, Thatayaone Monkgogi, Jonathan C Burley, George Bebawy","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02068-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02068-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inkjet printing has emerged as a revolutionary technology in pharmaceutical manufacturing, offering unprecedented precision in the deposition of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients. Its ability to accurately dispense nano- to picolitre volumes without direct contact with the substrate enables the development of complex and highly uniform dosage forms. This technology is uniquely positioned to overcome many limitations of conventional manufacturing processes, especially in the development of personalised and controlled-release formulations. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the principles, mechanisms, and advancements in inkjet printing technology for pharmaceutical applications. The review covers an overview of the fundamentals of inkjet printing, including drop-on-demand systems, thermal and piezoelectric printing modalities, and the critical parameters that govern droplet formation. We then examine its diverse applications, ranging from studying drugs in solid states to the production of novel formulations and personalised dosage forms. In addition, the integration of inkjet printing with advanced analytical tools is discussed, which has improved quality control and enabled high-throughput screening of drug formulations. Challenges related to ink formulation and process reproducibility are also critically evaluated, providing insights into current limitations and potential strategies for overcoming them. Finally, inkjet printing represents a transformative approach in pharmaceutical formulation development, offering scalability, flexibility, and the potential for on-demand manufacturing of patient-specific therapies. As research continues to refine inkjet printing processes and overcome existing technical challenges, this technology is poised to significantly enhance drug delivery performance and accelerate the transition toward personalised medicine. This review underscores the critical role of inkjet printing in redefining pharmaceutical technology and highlights its promising future in advancing next-generation drug delivery systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3040-3078"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147467418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transdermal patches loaded with etoricoxib nanocrystals as a remedy and prophylactic approach against progression of knee osteoarthritis.","authors":"Lamiaa M Ahmed, Omar H Hosny, Zainab S Abdelqader, Fergany A Mohamed, Tahani H Elfaham","doi":"10.1007/s13346-026-02052-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s13346-026-02052-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogeneous and multifactorial disorder that affects the entire joint organ. It is a major global public health concern, impacting more than 500 million individuals worldwide. The onset and progression of OA are driven by a complex interplay of factors and modifiable risks such as obesity and joint injury. Consequently, OA imposes a substantial burden on patients' quality of life and on society, owing to increased healthcare expenditures and reduced work productivity. The purpose of this study is to assess the therapeutic efficacy of transdermal patches loaded with etoricoxib nanocrystals (ETX-NCs, previously prepared and evaluated) in the treatment and reduction of osteoarthritis exacerbation. ETX-NCs patches of various polymers were prepared using solvent evaporation technique. The prepared patches were evaluated for drug content, thickness, moisture uptake, folding endurance, in vitro drug release, and skin permeation properties. The prepared patches based on HPMC, CMC Na, and PVA demonstrated uniformity, flexibility, smooth surface morphology and high drug content, along with acceptable physicochemical properties. Among these, the CMC Na based nanocrystal patches exhibited the most prolonged drug release (73.76 ± 2.38%). HPMC and CMC Na based patches showed promising skin penetration of 79.64 ± 1.20 μg/cm² and 44.06 ± 2.72 μg/cm², with corresponding flux values of 16.13 ± 0.21 μg/cm²/h and 8.08 ± 0.47 μg/cm²/h, respectively. Based on in vivo findings, the prepared ETX-NCs patches found to successfully alleviate OA symptoms within short duration (5 days), also protecting against disease progression.</p>","PeriodicalId":11357,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery and Translational Research","volume":" ","pages":"3439-3456"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13538259/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147303536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}