Monoclonal antibodies carried in nanosystems have been extensively studied and reported as a promising tool for the treatment of various types of cancers. Monoclonal antibodies have great advantages for the treatment of cancer because their protein structure can bind to the target tissue; however, it has some challenges such as denaturation following heat exposure and extreme values of pH, temperature and solvents, the ability to undergo hydrolysis, oxidation and deamination and the formation of non-native aggregates, which compromise drug stability to a large extent. In addition to these characteristics, they suffer rapid elimination when in the blood, which results in a short half-life and the production of neutralizing antibodies, rendering the doses ineffective. These challenges are overcome with encapsulation in nanosystems (liposomes, polymer nanoparticles, cyclodextrins, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, dendrimers and micelles) due to the characteristics of improving solubility, permeability, and selectivity only with tumor tissue; with that, there is a decrease in side effects beyond controlled release, which is critical to improving the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatment. The article was divided into different types of nanosystems, with a description of their definitions and applications in various types of cancers. Therefore, this review summarizes the use of monoclonal antibodies encapsulated in nanosystems and the description of clinical studies with biosimilars. Biosimilars are defined as products that are similar to monoclonal antibodies which are produced when the patent for the monoclonal antibodies expires.

Background: Tuberculosis is a chronic respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The common treatment regimens of tuberculosis are lengthy with adverse side effects, low patient compliance, and antimicrobial resistance. Drug delivery systems (DDSs) can overcome these limitations. Objective: This review aims to summarize the latest DDSs for the treatment of tuberculosis. In the first section, the main pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic challenges posed by the innate properties of the drugs are put forth. The second section elaborates on the use of DDS to overcome the disadvantages of the current treatment of tuberculosis. Conclusion: We reviewed research articles published in the last 10 years. DDSs can improve the physicochemical properties of anti-tuberculosis drugs, improving solubility, stability, and bioavailability, with better control of drug release and can target alveolar macrophages. However, more pre-clinical studies and robust bio-relevant analyses are needed for DDSs to become a feasible option to treat patients and attract investors.

This study aimed to develop films of chitosan (CSF) associated with pentoxifylline (PTX) for healing cutaneous wounds. These films were prepared at two concentrations, F1 (2.0 mg/mL) and F2 (4.0 mg/mL), and the interactions between the materials, structural characteristics, in vitro release, and morphometric aspects of skin wounds in vivo were evaluated. The formation of the CSF film with acetic acid modifies the polymeric structure, and the PTX demonstrates interaction with the CSF, in a semi-crystalline structure, for all concentrations. The release for all films was proportional to the concentration, with two phases: a fast one of ≤2 h and a slow one of >2 h, releasing 82.72 and 88.46% of the drug after 72 h, being governed by the Fickian diffusion mechanism. The wounds of the mice demonstrate a reduction of up to 60% in the area on day 2 for F2 when compared to CSF, F1, and positive control, and this characteristic of faster healing speed for F2 continues until the ninth day with wound reduction of 85%, 82%, and 90% for CSF, F1, and F2, respectively. Therefore, the combination of CSF and PTX is effective in their formation and incorporation, demonstrating that a higher concentration of PTX accelerates skin-wound reduction.

Tuberculosis infected 10.8 million people worldwide in 2023, resulting in 1.09 million deaths. Rifampicin (RIF) is one of the main drugs used in the treatment, but its low solubility and side effects, such as hepatotoxicity, limit its therapeutic efficacy. Polymeric nanoparticles (PNs) emerge as a promising strategy to optimize RIF delivery. This study aimed to develop RIF-PNs guided by molecular dynamics (MD), perform their physicochemical characterization and evaluate their in vitro cytotoxicity. MD allowed observing the molecular interactions between the components of the formulation and led to the formation of PNs. The PNs presented an average size of 177.0 ± 0.80 nm, polydispersity index of 0.094 ± 0.046, zeta potential of -15.0 ± 0.65 mV, encapsulation efficiency of 20.98% and drug loading of 2.29%, with colloidal stability maintained for up to 180 days. The physicochemical characterizations indicated the polymorphic form II of RIF, amorphous pattern of ethylcellulose (EC) and encapsulation of RIF in PN. Atomic force microscopy observed a spherical shape of the particles with a size of 38.4 ± 14.6 nm. RIF-EC-PN presented a sustained release profile with release of 20.65 ± 0.44% in 24 h and and the unencapsulated RIF demonstrated a release of 90.75% in 15 min. Cell viability was demonstrated in monkey renal epithelial cells (LLC-MK2). PNs showed favorable properties as RIF delivery systems. Graphical Abstract